Makati launches 24-hour police-traffic patrols in business areas for call center agents

MAKATI, Philippines – A 24-hour scheme with policemen and traffic enforcers doing joint patrols was launched on Friday to protect on night workers, especially call center agents, from criminals in the Makati Business District.

The scheme involves Integrated Patrol and Commuters Safety Zones – that is, 15 integrated patrols and five commuter safety zones set up along the main thoroughfares of the city.

"This project is designed to protect employees and commuters, especially those working during night and graveyard shift against criminal elements such as snatching and robbery-holdup gangs," Makati Police Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz said in an interview during the launching.

Also present at the launching were the Southern Police District (SPD) director, Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman; the director of the Makati Public Safety Assistance (MAPSA), Hermenegildo San Miguel; and representatives from the business community.

Faster response

Patrols in those areas will now be able to respond faster to any emergency.

"Our response to crimes will now be faster since MAPSA will no longer have to call for police assistance should the need arise because the police is already there with them in their regular patrol duties,” Cruz said.

MAPSA chief San Miguel said a policeman on beat patrol will be accompanied by at least two MAPSA personnel.

San Miguel added the joint patrols would also respond to traffic accidents and other similar incidents in their respective localities.

As of April 2008, Makati has the most number of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms at 146 and call centers at 72, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).

Next is Pasig City with 73 BPO companies and 44 call centers and Quezon City with 63 BPO centers and 34 call center companies.

Blind spots

Despite low crime rate reported in the city, Cruz said authorities are focusing on "blind spots," where incidents, especially petty crimes, happen but are not reported to the police by the victims.

"We admit that there are cases especially those perpetrated against night-shift workers such as snatching that do not get reported because the victim want to do away with the hassle, since they just want to rest after work," Cruz said.

The integrated patrol centers are in the following areas:

• Guadalupe and Loyola Memorial Chapel on EDSA

• Paseo de Roxas and Gil Puyat Avenues

• Makati Avenue and J.P. Rizal Street

• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues

• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces (Pasong Tamo) Avenues

• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues

• Gil Puyat Avenue and Osmeña Highway

• Ayala and Paseo de Roxas Avenues

• Ayala Avenue and Hotel Drive

• J.P. Rizal Street and Sampaguita-Comembo

• Makati and Paseo de Roxas Avenues

• Chino Roces Avenue and Arnaiz Street (Pasay Road)

• Gil Puyat Avenue and Bautista Street

• Makati and Ayala Avenues

• Chino Roces Avenue up to Mantrade at EDSA

The five commuter safety zones are in the following areas:

• Gil Puyat and Chino Roces Avenues

• Ayala and Gil Puyat Avenues

• Makati and Gil Puyat Avenues

• Gil Puyat and Osmeña Highway

• 6750 at Ayala Avenue

Alarmed by recent crimes

Last July, unidentified thieves robbed 13 call center agents on board a passenger bus on their way to work along EDSA-Makati.

The robbers immediately got off at Gil Puyat Avenue, carting away undetermined amount of cash and valuable things.

Earlier, the Makati police appealed to call center companies and other businesses operating at night to beef up their security because criminals had shifted to victimizing night-shift workers.

"Though there is still no major case of robbery in call centers in Makati City, we would just like to warn the different call center companies and their agents that robbers are on the hunt for them," Cruz said.

The advisory was made after robbers victimized a call center company located in a mall in Cainta, Rizal, last month.

To avert these kinds of incident, Cruz said he had already notified different Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies and call centers in Makati for them to implement a much stricter security measures to thwart robbers from executing their operations.

"Why should we wait for tomorrow? It is better for us to warn them at this early stage so that they can come up with a more stringent security policy. In the end, everybody will benefit from it," he said.

Representatives from the business community and security agencies lauded the project and said that it would go a long way in making the community safe from criminal elements. - GMANews.TV

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/112401/Makati-launches-24-hour-police-traffic-patrols-in-business-areas

Call centers should hire home-based workers—expert

By JESUS F. LLANTO
abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak

Philippine call centers are urged to try home-based operations to curb high attrition rate and increase employee satisfaction.

During the Annual Call Center Expo 2008, an expert on business process outsourcing (BPO) urge Philippine call center companies to hire work-at-home agents or home-based employees to solve the high turnover rate in the industry.

William Dieu, senior research analyst from callcentres.net, said that companies can lower attrition rate and foster high agent satisfaction if they will allow home-based operations.

"The Philippines should think about the benefits of hiring home-based agents," Dieu said. He added that working from home also allows employees to save on transportation cost, especially now when prices of fuel are soaring.

Dieu said that only nine percent of the companies here allow working from home and he warned that "it is not expected to increase" in the succeeding months.

Benedict Hernandez, senior vice president and general manager for Philippines of eTelecare, said technological factors hamper the development of this kind of job.

"It has not really taken off," said Hernandez. "There are many things to consider. We are not as wired as the United States."

John Langford, executive vice president of ICT group, said it will take time before this system is adapted. "The industry has been in the United States but this set-up has been used only in the last five years.

Big sector

Call centers are the biggest sector in the Philippine BPO industry. It generates the biggest revenue and employs the most workers. In 2007, contact centers accounted for 73 percent of the industry’s US$4.8 billion revenue and its employees accounted for 60 percent of the 300,000 BPO workers.

"The industry will grow at a healthy clip this year," said Dan Reyes, president of Sitel and director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

CCAP estimates that this year, contact centers are expected to earn US$4.3 billion dollars, or around 30 percent increase from last year’s US$3.3 billion. Around 50,000 additional jobs are also expected this year.

Contact centers in the Asia-Pacific region, said Dieu citing data from consulting firm Frost and Sullivan, generated US$665 million revenue in 2007 and is expected to earn US$13 in the next seven years.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=126189

Dollar depreciation won't hurt BPO industry long-term—CCAP

By Lawrence Casiraya

MANILA,Philippines--Despite the further devaluation of the dollar against the peso, Philippine call centers are shielded from long-term losses, according to the head of the Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

The peso is currently trading at around P45 per dollar as compared to P52 per dollar a year ago; and analysts expect the local currency to strengthen further as the economy improves and the dollar weakens.

In an interview, Raffy David, CCAP head, admitted that the industry has suffered a "direct hit" due to this development.

Most local call centers serve US customers and thus, measure revenue in dollars.

David, however, said this affects foreign-owned operators, not those that cater to the local market.

"It's forcing international players to negotiate better deals," he said.

Overall, he said dollar losses affect low-volume contracts; which means operators now prefer multi-year contracts that open doors for serving different types of requirements.

"It's not unusual anymore for customers to farm out requirements to different countries or to multiple service providers," David noted.

"This problem couldn't have come at a better time for the industry," he added. "Our quality of service is already proven and this offers leverage in negotiating better contracts. Likewise it's pushing the industry to maintain and improve service levels."

Lauro Vives, founding chief of outsourcing analyst XMG Inc., also believes that there are no "drastic" effects to local players.
"Our research shows that offshore service providers on average have a 5- to 7-percent margin advantage even after foreign [exchange] fluctuations," Vives commented via e-mail.

To weather the dollar depreciation and continue a modest operating margin, he said the industry must ensure it monitors salaries closely and does not get hit by an industry-wide wage hike similar to India.

"For longer term growth and to avoid the vagaries of global currency fluctuations, service providers in the Philippines should diversify their revenue by looking at Europe where the demand for outsourcing is outpacing that of the US by 14 percent in the first half of 2007," Vives said.

Bacolod mayor reveals need for more call center workers

Monday, July 30 2007 @ 12:30 PM BST

Call centers Teletech and Teleperformance in Bacolod City are recruiting more employees and agents, and are starting to tap areas outside the city.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said with Convergys, which will start operating a branch here next month, more employment opportunities will be available for Bacoleños and Negrenses.

Leonardia, who spoke before officers and members of the Negros Occidental Teachers' Federation, Inc. (NOTFI) during their 61st Annual Representative Assembly at the Teachers' Center here Friday, said "we need people from outside of Bacolod to fill in the slots for the rising demand of employment opportunities for call centers."

"This is the development I would like to share with the rest of Negros Occidental. When we started in 2004, we were not in the information technology (IT) map of the country.

"When we created the IT Focus Team (ITFT) in 2005 and we aggressively campaigned to position Bacolod as the IT Capital of Western Visayas. Not only had the call centers come in," Leonardia said.

At present, the mayor said there are more than 2,500 new employment opportunities that have created in Bacolod as far as call centers are concerned in just a litte more than a year after the entry of Teletech and Teleperformance alone.

Teletech is located in Robinson's Metro in front of the Bacolod City airport, while Teleperformance is at Luxur Hotel (formerly Bacolod Conventional Plaza Hotel) in front of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).

Convergys, the biggest call center in the country, is opening its branch and operations here next month, he said.

The mayor urged teachers to "be more focused in English," adding that "we could give the necessary training for our children starting from their elementary and secondary years." (PNA)

No cause for call centers to shift focus, says CCAP
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:46pm (Mla time) 07/26/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- While President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has urged the business process outsourcing (BPO) to focus on higher-value services, there is no cause for call centers to "refocus," according to the head of a local industry group.

In her State of the Nation address last Monday, President Arroyo urged the country's BPO sector to focus on higher-value outsourcing work such as accounting.

That, however, does not mean call centers should be moving out of voice services anytime soon.

"There is no conscious effort from our part…just because the President says something like that," said Raffy David, director of industry group Call Center Industry Association of the Philippines (CCAP), composed of more than 30 call centers.

"We are primarily focused on doing what we do well which is voice and other contact center based services like chat and email support," David added.

In a phone interview, David made clear that CCAP need not refocus its direction and that call centers remain the BPO industry's biggest revenue earner.

"The industry is not saturated and there is demand to keep the industry going even beyond 2010," David said. Arroyo's term ends three years from now.

Adding to the demand coming from the United States is the migration of call center operations by Indian companies in the Philippines, David said.

The country's call center industry employs more than 200,000 agents at present. CCAP is targeting to raise industry talent to 500,000 workers by 2010.

David acknowledged perennial industry issues such as the shortage of skilled workers and rising wage levels.

"We have been aware about issues like shortage of talent and as an organization, we are doing something about it. We are already in full swing with our own strategy," he said.

50 COMMON CALL CENTER INTERVIEW Q&A

1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short
statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound
rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise.
Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to
the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest
back and work up to the present.

2. Why did you leave your last job?
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major
problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers
or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep
smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an
opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking
reasons.

3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for.
If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good
explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are
on track to achieve the others.

5. What do co-workers say about you?
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific
statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith
Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It
is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

6. What do you know about this organization?
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization
before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are
going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide
variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement.
Have some good ones handy to mention.

8. Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus
on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is
a distraction.

9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the
research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely
important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term
career goals.

10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This
can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not
relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought
of.

11. What kind of salary do you need?
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if
you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like,
That's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position?
In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not,
say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide
range.

12. Are you a team player?
You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready.
Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather
than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag,
just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I'd like
it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job.

14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you
like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the
right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the
individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the
organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in
force.

15. What is your philosophy towards work?
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here.
Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That's the
type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a
benefit to the organization.

16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?
Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type
of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.

17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying
negative things about the people or organization involved.

18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to
highlight your best points as they relate to the position being
discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

19. Why should we hire you?
Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not
mention any other candidates to make a comparison.

20. Tell me about a suggestion you have made
Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted
and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work
applied for is a real plus.

21. What irritates you about co-workers?
This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with
anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get
along with folks is great.

22. What is your greatest strength?
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples:
Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability
to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your
professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude

23. Tell me about your dream job.
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you
are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another
job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with
this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something
like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and
can't wait to get to work.

24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.

25. What are you looking for in a job?
See answer # 23

26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization,
violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will
label you as a whiner.

27. What is more important to you: the money or the work?
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is
no better answer.

28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
There are numerous good possibilities:
Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise,
Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver

29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of
your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former
boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and
develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.

30. What has disappointed you about a job?
Don't get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include:
Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did
not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an
example that relates to the type of position applied for.

32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want
another job more than this one.

33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?
This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:
Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
This is up to you. Be totally honest.

35. How would you know you were successful on this job?
Several ways are good measures:
You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a
success.Your boss tell you that you are successful

36. Would you be willing to relocate if required?
You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if
you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get
the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems
later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself
future grief.

37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead ofyour own?
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about
the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.

38. Describe your management style.
Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive,
salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions
depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational
style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the
situation, instead of one size fits all.

39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make
it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An
example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and
thus throwing coordination off.

40. Do you have any blind spots?
Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind
spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do
their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?
Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.

42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well
qualified for the position.

43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?
First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about,
bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working
quick learner.

44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of
humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All
bosses think they have these traits.

45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute betweenothers.
Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique
and not the dispute you settled.

46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?
Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.

47. Describe your work ethic.
Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to
get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?
Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show
acceptance and no negative feelings.

49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.
Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.

50. Do you have any questions for me?
Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on? are
examples.

Petiks Mode Tips

1. Make sure that the call center you applied to has a sleeping quarters. It is your "best friend".

2. Tropahin agad ang TL, alokin uminom at mag yosi para magaang ang loob sa yo. Kung bebot o dyuding ang TL, lambing lambingin mo kung kaya ng sikmura mo.

3. Pag-aralan ang iyong AVAYA, kung old school na kailangan saksakan ng prong, pindutin ng pindutin yung ACW while on a call and it will turn the AVAYA off, sabay sigaw ng "system down!" Kung medyo bago na AVAYA, look for the 'drop' button while on a call. Mare-release ang call at hindi makikita sa CMS na nagrelease ka ng call.

4. Buy a watch na may stopwatch, sulitin mo yung mga available AUXes ultimo hangang huling segundo.